Today, November 2, 2024 is the International Day to End Impunity (IDEI) for Crimes against Journalists. The global event marking the day will, however, take place at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the auspices of UNESCO and the AU, from November 6-7.
The theme for this year’s celebration, Safety of Journalists in Crises and Emergencies, is particularly significant and relevant to current security and geopolitical trends in West Africa.
In the first place, the events that galvanised the world to adopt November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), through UN General Assembly in Resolution 68/163, were created by crises.
Two French journalists, Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were abducted and killed on November 2, 2013, in the town of Kidal, while covering the armed insurgency in Northern Mali.
Unfortunately, that crisis does not only persist but has grown in scope and intensity. The armed insurgency by extremist groups has spread to Burkina Faso and Niger, leading to a continuous deterioration of the press freedom environment in the region.
Today, all three countries are under military rule, the civic space is hermetically sealed and the media has become the footstool of the military monarchs. In the past year, at least 15 media organisations, mostly foreign, have been banned or suspended in these three crisis-torn countries.
In Mali, the media regulator on April 11, 2024, urged all media outlets to cease coverage of all political parties or political associations, in what was effectively a censorship order. Several journalists who cannot endure the culture of one-track thinking and uncritical patriotism imposed by the regime have self-censored, while others have fled the country.
In Burkina Faso, the authorities recently admitted having conscripted three journalists into the army, four months after they disappeared. The three journalists, “Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala and Kalifara Séré were abducted in June 2024 with their whereabouts hitherto unknown.
However, the whereabouts of a fourth missing journalist, Alain Niozè Traoré, known to Radio Omega listeners as Alain Alain, remains unknown since his abduction on July 13. Traore was picked up from his home around 5 a.m. by armed individuals in balaclavas who identified themselves as agents of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR).
Meanwhile, the managers of BFI TV were forced to self-censor after a mob of government supporters protested against the media outlet, amidst threats. The group calling itself supporters of President Ibrahim Traoré, massed up in front of BF1’s premises on June 25, 2024, calling on the station to reflect a “balanced” and “respectful” view of the government. Some of the demonstrators accused BF1 and other media organisations of being paid to destabilise the country and called for such media to be punished.
This incident followed interrogation of BF1’s management by the military and the suspension of the channel’s “7 Infos” show for two weeks.
In Niger, a journalist with Radio Anfani, Ousmane Toudou, is still in detention after his arrest on April 13, 2024. His arrest was in connection with a Facebook post following the July 2023 coup, in which he called on all democratic forces to oppose the military takeover.
The editor of the L’Enquêteur newspaper, Soumana Maiga, is still under judicial control after his release on July 9, from over two months’ detention. Maiga was arrested on April 24, 2024 after his paper published a story about the alleged installation of listening equipment by Russian agents on official state buildings. He was being detained on a charge of “undermining national defence.”
The authorities again attacked the civic space on June 7, 2024, by reintroducing prison sentences for social media publications judged to be defamatory, insulting or likely to disturb public order. The measure, according to the government, was taken in order to, among others, preserve public peace and security. The new law prescribed between one and five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to five million CFA francs (8,000 US Dollars) for offenders.
In Guinea, which is also under military rule, the civic space is completely shut, the country’s leading broadcast organisations are shut and the internet is often disrupted for long spells. Public demonstrations are banned. The secretary general of the Guinean media professionals’ union (SPPG) Sekou Jamal Pendessa, was detained in January for signing a statement calling for protests against prolonged internet disruption and the jamming of some critical radio stations in the country. On February 23, while still in detention, the journalist was sentenced to six months in prison, half of the term suspended. It took a bloody and paralyzing nationwide protest to force the authorities to release the journalist.
Senegal, otherwise hailed as democratic and media-friendly, emerged unrecognisable from the crisis that marred the closing months of President Macky Sall’s tenure. The countdown to the elections witnessed several press freedom violations. Walf TV was twice shut down and several journalists assaulted while covering public protests, with the internet twice disrupted. Yet, there is no sign of improvement under the new administration with a number of journalists arrested. On May 30, 2024, for example, the gendarmerie in Dakar summoned and subsequently placed in custody Pape Moussa Traoré managing editor of La Tribune. Traoré’s detention followed a story on the redeployment of a military general to India. was the result of a fallout with Prime Minister
On May 31, 2024, the Senegalese gendarmerie also summoned and detained Mohamed Guèye, managing editor of Le Quotidien, also about the same story.
In Nigeria, economic crisis led to the #EndHunger nationwide protest, which saw many journalists attacked, both by state security operatives and members of the public. Several organisations including the International Press Center (IPC), the national partner of the MFWA, chronicled about a dozen attacks. A statement from the IPC released on August 1, 2024, said at least 21 journalists were attacked or abused across at least five states on the first day of the protests.
Also, the authorities continued to weaponise the cybercrime law of 2015 to silence critical publications about powerful people. On February 6, 2024, the police in Kwara State charged four journalists from the Informant247 news website d with cyberstalking under section 24(1)(b) of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, as well as defamation under section 393 of the penal code. The charges followed a complaint by the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic over critical publications by news website.
The police in Lagos on May 1, 2024, arbitrarily detained for nine days Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with The Foundation for Investigative Journalism. Ojukwu was accused of publishing a defamatory corruption report about Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a former senior Presidential aide. Here again, it was the cybercrime law that was invoked.
The rampant use of the provisions of the Act to silence critical voices has claimed several other victims, despite recent amendments to the law.
In Ghana, 2024 began with a storm, as two politically motivated attacks on journalists were recorded in January. In the first incident, which occurred on January 2, thugs alleged to be supporters of Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mavis Hawa Koomson, assaulted David Kobbena, a senior presenter at Cape FM in Cape Coast, Ghana. The journalist was covering the vetting of aspiring members of Parliament for the ruling New Patriotic Party. In the second incident, a Member of Parliament, Farouk Aliu Mahama and several thugs assaulted journalist Mohammed Aminu M. Alabira of Citi FM/Citi TV during the NPP’s parliamentary primary in Yendi in Northern Region of Ghana on January 27.
On May 16, four supporters of the ruling NPP assaulted Dokurugu Abubakar Ndeeya, a reporter with the privately owned Zaa Multimedia, while he was filming outside of a meeting between Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia and party leaders in the northern Tamale region.
Ghana’s environmental crisis claimed journalist victims on October 20, 2024, when armed private guards of Edelmetallum Resources Limited, a mining firm, attacked a three-member crew of journalists from Multimedia Group Limited near Manso Nkran in the Ashanti region. The crew, which was documenting environmental destruction linked to mining activities, also had their drone and other digital tools seized.
In Togo, the High Court of Lomé sentenced Ferdinand Ayité and Isidore Kouwonou, respectively Director of Publication and Editor-in-Chief of the biweekly L’Alternative, to three years in prison each. The two journalists were also fined 3 million CFA Francs (about $5000) for defamation. The charges were brought two ministers after a critical broadcast the YouTube platform of L’Alternative.
On March 26, 2024, officers of the Research and Investigation Brigade in Lomé detained Apollinaire Mewenemesse, the director of publication of La Dépeche, after the news outlet repeated allegations for which Ferdinand Ayité and Isidore Kouwonou were arrested.
In Cote d’Ivoire, the Parliament on June 6, amended the Penal Code, adding two new provisions to Article 185. One of the new provisions criminalises public comments that discredit the Authority and support persons convicted of certain financial offences. Media actors have warned that the law seeks to gag criticism of judicial decisions including in by the media.
In Guinea Bissau, the authorities have barred Indira Correia Balde, the President of the journalists’ union SINJOTECS and her deputy Fatima Chuma, from covering all government activities. The government accused the two of being hostile to the ruling coalition.
In the Gambia, the President and the Minister of Environment have brought defamation suits against two newspapers in separate cases.
MFWA’s call
The Media Foundation for West Africa is deeply concerned about the prevalence of attacks and other forms of harassment against journalists, who are indispensable in periods of crisis. During natural disasters or emergencies such as epidemics, the media and civil society activists become the indispensable allies of government and the disaster response agencies, providing life-saving information and countering mis/disinformation that can endanger lives and worsen the situation.
To be able to continue playing this role effectively, both the media and civil society require an expansive civic space, a liberal legal environment and governments’ commitment to protecting freedom of expression.
In view of this, we urge all governments to decriminalize press offences, especially libel. This call is particularly targeted Senegal, Niger, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau and Mali. The Gambia has an added legal duty to decriminalize libel in line with the 2018 recommendation the ECOWAS Court of Justice as well as the 2021 Truth Commission report.
The MFWA urges the authorities in Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Mali to restore fully the right to press freedom and cease all forms of harassment against the media. The government of Guinea should, in the spirit of the Anti-impunity celebration, allow all the broadcast stations currently shut down to resume operations. We further call on the government in Burkina Faso to end the forced conscription into the army of the three journalists, “Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala and Kalifara Séré, and to help establish the whereabouts of a fourth missing journalist, Alain Niozè Traoré.
Given the continued abuse of the Cybercrime Law 2025, we recommend to the government of Nigeria to further amend the law to remove its repressive, vague and broad-worded sections. The Nigerian government should also call to order the rampaging security agencies who arrest and attack journalist at the least provocation or instigation from influential people.
As Ghana goes to the polls on December 7, we urge all the stakeholders to respect the role of the media and facilitate their work. To the media organisations and journalists, we recommend that the take necessary security precautions, given the attacks already recorded during party primaries. They must also demonstrate the highest level of integrity and professionalism in covering the elections.
Finally, we commend the media in West Africa for its continued support for good governance, socio-economic development, the fight against corruption and environmental degradation, even in the face of myriad challenges. The MFWA wishes all journalists a happy IDEI 2024.
